Posts Tagged ‘Loire’
White and red Blots
Two estates but the same owner-winemaker: Jacky Blot.
Montlouis-sur-Loire 2012, Clos de Mosny, Domaine de la Taille aux Loups ($32.50, 12303674)
100% Chenin Blanc from the oldest vines (averaging will over 50 years) in the centre of the 12-hectare stone-walled clos. Farming is organic but uncertified as such. The grapes are manually harvested during the second of several passes though the vineyard. Depending on the condition of the fruit, whole and/or partial clusters are harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and no chaptalization. Matured on the lees in oak barrels (one-quarter new, one-quarter second fill, one-quarter third fill and one-quarter fourth fill) for 12 months. Racked once or twice to clarify the wine. Before bottling, the barrels are tasted, selected and blended. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Reducing sugar: 4.3 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Vini-Vins.
Complex, changing nose: honeycomb, citrus, soap, seaside minerals and a hint of honeysuckle, then gaining parsnip, raw honey and quince nuances. Full and rich in the mouth, albeit a little austere at this stage in its development. Flavours tend to apple, peach, powdered ginger and something more root vegetable-like (“Japanese turnip” per one taster) with a definite mineral underlay. Comes across as quite dry, its reducing sugar levels notwithstanding, perhaps due to its glowing acidity. Long, layered and delicious, full of potential, a lovely wine with at least another decade of life ahead of it. (Buy again? Yes.)
Bourgueil 2013, Mi-Pente, Domaine La Butte ($36.00, 10903684)
Blot’s top red cuvée. 100% Cabernet Franc. The grapes come from vines averaging 60 years old and grown in a five-hectare plot located in the middle of Blot’s sloping 12-hectare Bourgueil vineyard. Yields are an exceptionally low 25 hl/ha. Farming is organic but uncertified. Manual harvesting. After destemming, the grapes are transferred to oak vats for alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts (no chaptalization), daily punch-downs for 10 days and regular pump-overs. Maceration lasts an unusually long five weeks. After malolactic fermentation in oak vats, the wine is matured in oak barrels (one-third new, one-third second fill, one-third third fill) for 16 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Reducing sugar: 1.4 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Réserve & Sélection.
Expressive nose of slate, turned earth and ripe red fruit (initially in the background though coming to the fore as the wine breathes) along with faint kirsch and green pepper and a streak of oak that one taster termed “mid-range chocolate ice cream.” Equally expressive in the mouth, despite its youth. Quite extracted – on the top side of medium-bodied – but not heavy. The velvety fruit is tense with fine if tight tannins and firm acidity. Layers of flavour, including well-integrating oak, unfurl as the wine moves across the palate. Finishes, minerally, clean and long. Carafe several hours in advance if drinking now or cellar until it peaks, probably in 2020 to 2025. If this wine were a Bordeaux or Burgundy, it would be retailing for two or three times as much. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG July 16th tasting: flight 4 of 6.
The SAQ does natural wines – part 1
On April 23, the SAQ came out with its first ever official release of natural wines* (“official” because a few natural wines have made their way onto the monopoly’s shelves in the past, a recent example being the Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie that the Mo’ Wine Group swooned over in July). Friends and I had planned to taste through the lineup soon after the release but, for various reasons, the event was postponed until last Friday.
Due to the postponement, most of the wines are – like my free time – now in short supply, so it hardly seems worthwhile to give them the full Brett Happens treatment. Yet the release is a milestone of sorts for the SAQ and for local lovers of natural wines, one that shouldn’t go unremarked. What’s more, the tasting left me with a few thoughts about the operation and the future of such wines at the SAQ. My solution is a set of quick notes followed by a comment or two.
Of the eight wines in the release, two – a Chardonnay and a Syrah made by Gérard Bertrand – were either new vintages or restockings of unmemorable wines that the SAQ started carrying a few months ago. We focused on the other six and on a mystery wine served at the end.
The 100% Gamay, near-Beaujolais Vin de France 2013, Le P’tit Poquelin, Maison B. Perraud ($21.75, 12517998) smells of jujubes and spice with unmistakable meat and soy sauce notes. While the wine is fruity, it’s also very dry, especially on the extremely short, black pepper-scented finish. What structure there is comes from acidity, not tannins. The bottom line? To riff off Gertrude Stein, there’s not much there there. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever encountered a red wine with so little presence. Buy again? No.
Another 100% Gamay, this time from 50-year-old vines in the Loire valley, the Touraine 2013, Première Vendange, Henry Marionnet ($24.20, 12517875) has a strikingly lactic nose that, when combined with the fruit, has you thinking of raspberry-strawberry yogurt. In the mouth, it’s richer, deeper, plusher-tannined and more minerally than the P’tit Poquelin, and the juicy finish has a lingering astringency. On its own terms, enjoyable enough – though, when you can get excellent Morgons from Brun for the same price and from Foillard for $3 more, the QPR seems way off. Buy again? No.
If you score a bottle of the 100% Cabernet Franc Chinon 2012, Cuvée Beaumont, Épaulé Jeté, Domaine Breton ($22.70, 12517921), be sure to carafe it before serving because on opening the wine has little to say. After breathing for an hour, it suddenly blossoms. The nose gains notes of red fruit, cured meat, forest floor, green sap, sawed wood and spice. The austere, ungiving palate turns rich and expressive: the texture supple, the fruit bone dry but juicy and pure, the acidity singing, the tannins caressing, the finish long and clean. In short, a beaut. Buy again? Definitely.
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*What is a natural wine? According to the Association des vins naturels, the basic principles of natural winemaking are organic or biodynamic farming (not necessarily certified), manual harvesting, fermentation with native yeasts and the avoidance of harsh physical procedures (reverse osmosis, cross-flow filtration, flash pasteurization, thermovinification, etc.) and of additives, including sugar, with an exception being made for small amounts of sulphur dioxide added as a stabilizer at bottling. As a definition, that works for me, though I’d add that many natural winemakers say that their wines are made in the vineyard, not the cellar, that their goal is to add nothing and take nothing away, which leads them to adopt a non-interventionist approach in the cellar and to largely or completely avoid filtering and fining.
The upsides of natural wines include their individuality and a juicy vibrancy that, in the best examples, seems very close to the fruit and terroir. Many also have a rustic appeal – a sense of not taking themselves too seriously – that their more polished and manipulated counterparts lack. Downsides include greater bottle-to-bottle variability, the ever-present possibility of reductive notes on opening, the need to store the bottles at cool temperatures (ideally 14ºC/57ºF or less) and, for some drinkers and some wines, their cloudy appearance and funky bouquets.
SAQ natural wines tasting: post 1 of 3.
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming…
…to bring you the following public service announcement.
Normally I’d wait until all the notes from the MWG’s February tasting were up before posting this one. Why the rush? Because Domaine des Huard’s owner-winemaker, Michel Gendrier, is in town and will be pouring this and other wines at the excellent Le Comptoir charcuteries et vins tomorrow evening (Monday, March 9). And if that weren’t inducement enough, he’ll be joined by fellow Loire winemakers Étienne Courtois and Nicolas Grosbois. For details about this Romo love-in, see here.
Cour-Cheverny 2008, François 1er, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine des Huards ($24.45, 12476452)
Huard’s top-of-the-line dry Cour-Cheverny. 100% Romorantin from organically and biodynamically farmed vines averaging 75 years old. Manually harvested. Two-thirds of the grapes are immediately pressed, one-third are macerated on the skins for 15 hours before pressing. Fermented with indigenous yeasts at between 18 and 20°C. Matured on the lees for five months. Cold-stabilized before bottling in the September following the harvest. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV.
Honey, straw, chalk, dried lemon, browning apple, faint white spices and an even fainter whiff of kerosene. Medium-bodied but with a dense, bordering-on-unctuous texture. Ripe-sweet on entry, the fruit is nicely soured by a surging undercurrent of acidity before slow-fading into the long finish, revealing the mineral substrate and leaving behind a very dry, light astringency and a hint of nuttiness and coriander seed. A lovely, layered, elegant wine deserving of a dry goat cheese or a fine piece of fish (you’ll find a couple of recipe ideas after the jump). Available as a private import, the 2007 was a Loire lover’s must-buy at $32. At under $25, this 2008 is a certifiable bargain. (Buy again? Absolutely.)
Sancerrenity
Sancerre 2011, Les Grands Groux, Domaine Fouassier ($25.25, 12259423)
100% Sauvignon Blanc from a 5.5-hectares of organically and biodyanmically farmed vines between 15 and 40 years old. The groux in the name is a local term for shallow chalky limestone soil with few rocks. Manually harvested. Destemmed. Pressed pneumatically. The must is gravity fed to stainless steel tanks for chilling and settling. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Malolactic fermentation takes place during the winter. All work in the cellar is done according to the lunar calendar. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV.
Wafting nose: gunflint and chalk, pomelo and pear, green-turning-yellow grass, honey. Smooth on first sip with a slightly viscous texture. Echoing the nose, the fruit has a pearish laidbackness in combo with citrusy acid and a pith-like bitterness that lingers into the minerally finish. When the fruit fades, you’re surprised at how dry the wine actually is. Less exuberant and dazzling than some but so satisfying to drink on its own or with simply prepared seafood, including salads, or goat cheese. A recent limited release that, unsurprisingly, has nearly sold out. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG November 11th tasting: Gamay or not Gamay
St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil 2013, L’Hurluberlu, Sébastien David ($24.00, private import, 12 bottles/case)
100% organically and biodynamically farmed Cabernet Franc. Manually harvested, fermented with indigenous yeasts. Vinified Beaujolais style – using carbonic maceration – and given a very short maturation in tanks, with bottling occurring early in the new year following harvest. Unfiltered. No added sulphur. 11% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Ferny, slatey, plummy, red-berried nose that eventually gave up some whiffs of jalapeño. Pure, clean fruit, bright but not harsh acidity and soft tannins that turn a little raspy on the tangy finish. “Surprising depth for such a light wine,” noted one taster. “Like health juice,” said another. Served lightly chilled or even cooler, this is irresistibly drinkable. (Buy again? A bit pricey for such an easy-drinker but yes, in multiples.)
Côtes du Forez 2013, La Volcanique, Cave Verdier-Logel ($21.06, private import, 12 bottles/case)
Based in Marcilly-le-Châtel, the certified organic 17-hectare estate grows Gamay and a little Pinot Gris and Viognier. This cuvée is 100% Gamay from old vines rooted in basalt soil. Manually harvested. Macerated 15 days at around 19°C. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Lightly filtered (earth filters) before bottling. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Lovely nose: cedar, plum, dark minerals and papier d’arménie. Supple, dry and medium-bodied. The combination of rocky minerals, lean fruit, trenchant acidity, light but sinewy tannins and earthy finish give the wine a rustic appeal that its Beaujo counterparts lack. Seems to cry out for some charcuterie (the winemaker also suggests pot au feu and rabbit stew). Understandably a hit with many around the table. (Buy again? For sure.)
The estate first impinged on my consciousness at the Salon des vins d’importation privée, where I tasted the Vin de France 2012, Les FMR, Gamay, Cave Verdier-Logel ($19.00, La QV/Insolte, 12 bottles/case). This one-off 100% Gamay cuvée was made from sustainably farmed Côteaux Lyonnais grapes that neighbouring winegrowers donated to the estate to replace the crop it lost to hail (in French, FMR sounds like éphémère, ephemeral). Though I didn’t taste the wines side by side, this struck me as a slightly lighter version of the Volcanique and, at under $20, definitely worth buying.
Chiroubles 2013, Damien Coquelet ($32.25, private import, 6 bottles/case)
Now in his mid-20s, Coquelet is the stepson of renowned natural Beaujolais producer Georges Descombes. He began working in the family’s vineyards and cellars when he was five and has been making his own wines since 2007. Besides this cuvée, he produces an old-vine Chiroubles, a Morgon, a Beaujolais-Villages and the wildly popular, semi-nouveau Fou du Beaujo. This 100% Gamay is made from organically farmed, manually harvested grapes. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Depending on the vintage, no or minimal sulphur is used. Coquelet typically bottles his cru wines a year before his stepfather, which makes them fruitier and juicier. 11.5% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Classic Chiroubles: perfumy, supple, silky and bright but, like the other 2013 Beaujolais I’ve tried, a little on the light side – or so it seemed coming on the heels of the other two wines in this flight. That said, the mix of tart red berries, vine sap, graphite, black pepper and hints of flowers and animale is magnetic. (Buy again? Sure.)
(Flight: 7/9)
MWG November 13th tasting: Blanc de Francs
Vin de France 2012, K. Blanc, Ferme de Mont-Benault ($32.32, private import, 6 bottles/case)
Named after the Mont-Benault lieu-dit in Faye d’Anjou, the 6-hectare estate, 4 hectares of which are in production, was created in 2009 and is owned and operated by Stéphane Rocher. Rocher is a neighbour of Richard Leroy, the winegrower featured in the celebrated graphic novel Les ignorants. Organic farming (AB certification), manual harvesting, light racking, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, conservation of the fermentation gases, no fining and minimal sulphuring (only at bottling) are the guiding principles. Most of the wines are designated vin de France, meaning the labels can state neither the vintage nor constituent grape varieties. This 2012 is a still blanc de noirs made from Cabernet Franc with a dollop (10%) of lees-stirred Chenin Blanc. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Complex, one-of-a-kind nose of minerals, wax and faint pickle juice. Equally inscrutable and intriguing in the mouth, with a certain heft and roundness, fruit tending to pear, underpinning acidity, a vein of flinty chalk and a touch of bitterness on the long finish. Can easily see this working with walleye or other freshwater fish. (Buy again? Yes, especially if in the mood for something different.)
(Flight: 4/9)
MWG November 13th tasting: White gold
Vouvray sec 2004, Domaine Lemaire-Fournier ($26.45, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% Chenin Blanc. The now-defunct 30-hectare estate was located in Vernou-sur-Brenne, close to Vouvray. In 2004, the estate was in its third year of conversion to organic farming. The wines were made with native yeasts and abjuring enzymes, chaptalization, deacidification, fining, added nutrients, tartric stabilization and sulphur. The estate’s remaining stocks of wine are being liquidated, which explains the reasonable price. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
A whiff of nail polish remover quickly blows off, leaving an evolved, complex nose of honeysuckle, camomile, banana peel, chalk, pear, dried mushroom, caramel and, eventually, buckwheat honey. On first sip you wonder whether it isn’t heading into off-dry territory but, no, the wine is dry albeit rich. The vibrant acidity is smoothed and rounded by the extract. The layers of fruit are set against a backdrop of crunchy minerals and joined by salted caramel on the long finish. Impressed just about everyone around the table. Amazing QPR. (Buy again? Obviously.)
Cour-Cheverny 2007, François 1er, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine des Huards ($32.00, private import, 6 bottles/case)
This is the big brother of Huard’s “Romo” Cour-Cheverny that the MWG tasted in June. 100% Romorantin from organically and biodynamically farmed vines averaging 75 years old. Manually harvested. Two-thirds of the grapes are immediately pressed, one-third are macerated on the skins for 15 hours before pressing. Fermented with indigenous yeasts at between 18 and 20°C. Matured on the lees for five months. Cold-stabilized before bottling in the September following the harvest. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Intriguing nose of Jerusalem artichoke, wax, white flowers, limestone, dried lemon peel, faint honey. Round yet lively in the mouth. The fruit is understated but lacy-textured and multifaceted, buoyed and freshened by Romorantin’s nervous acidity and infused with chalky minerals that last well into the impressively long finish. A delectable, elegant, complete wine deserving of a fine seafood dish (think langoustines). (Buy again? Oh, yes.)
(Flight: 2/9)
MWG November 13th tasting: Sparkle plenty
La QV’s head honcho Cyril Kérébel recently led the Mo’ Wine Group in a tasting of natural wines from La QV’s and Insolite’s portfolios. We kicked things off with a tasty sparkler.
Saumur 2004, Méthode Traditionnelle Brut Non-dosé, Château La Tour Grise ($25.29, private import, 12 bottles/case)
100% Chenin Blanc from organically and biodynamically farmed vines averaging a quarter of a century old. Manually harvested. After sorting, the grapes are destemmed and pressed, with the must racked directly into the fermentation vessel. Primary fermentation, with indigenous yeasts, is stopped before all the sugar has been converted to alcohol. The wine is bottled and allowed to referment, producing the carbon dioxide that sparkles the wine. After extended ageing on the lees while stacked on lattes, the bottles are riddled, disgored and topped up but not dosed (a dosed cuvée is also made) and sealed with a cork and cage. Throughout the wine-making process, nothing is added to the wine except a small squirt of sulphur dioxide at bottling. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Browning apple, pear blossom, chalk, yeast and hints of citrus and anise. Dry and medium-bodied with a fine effervescence. The nuanced set of flavours is centred on understated fruit and an array of minerals. A leesy, saline undercurrent adds savour while a faint pithy bitterness shades the long finish. Remarkably fresh for a decade-old wine because the bottles are disgorged and topped up just before they’re shipped. A delicious, aged, natural sparkler for $25 and change. What’s not to like? (Buy again? Yes indeed.)
(Flight: 1/9)
Salon VIP 2014: Root day at Rézin (3/7)
Anjou Blanc 2012, Domaine Thibaud Boudignon ($40.50, private import, 6 bottles/case)
Hailing from Bordeaux, young (30-something?) Thibaud Boudignon is head of operations at Château Soucherie. On the side, he makes wine under his own name from two hectares of vineyards in Anjou and Savennières. This 100% organically farmed Chenin Blanc comes from vines averaging a third of a century old and grown in shallow soils on grey schist, ryholite and sand. The grapes are manually harvested and gently pressed. The must is fermented with indigenous yeasts in French and Austrian oak barrels of various volumes. Does not undergo malolactic fermentation. Matured eight to 12 months in one and two-year-old Burgundian 225-litre barrels and new 500-litre barrels. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Dry. Intense, breath-holdingly balanced. The ripe-sweet fruit – pear and lemon – is somehow both dense and ethereal. Floral, honey and quinine overtones abound but the oak calls no attention to itself. The acidity is racy, the minerality dazzling. The saline finish goes on and on. There are wines whose focus and energy are such they seem powered from within. This is one of them. The last word I wrote (and a word I rarely use): incredible. (Buy again? Absolutely.)
Salon VIP 2014: Clos Sénéchal
We ended our visit at the oenopole stand with one of the top wines of a favourite Loire producer.
Bourgueil 2011, Clos Sénéchal, Catherine & Pierre Breton ($34.00, private import, 12 bottles/case)
100% Cabernet Franc from organically farmed vines between 30 and 45 years old. The grapes are manually harvested and, after destemming, fermented with indigenous yeasts for three weeks. Matured one to two years in large foudres. Unfiltered. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Closed but beautiful nose that’s already giving up some mineral and floral overtones. Medium-bodied. Tightly wound but impeccably balanced, silky textured and clearly full of potential. Red fruit, green leaves, slate and spice, fine structure (medium tannins, sleek acidity), hinted-at depth and a long clean finish. Delicious and, as the French say, digeste. Approachable now but will probably be singing in three or four years. (Buy again? Yes.)
Next stop: Vinealis.
Brett happens 